Survey, Experiments, or Observational Studies

In a certain school, students can choose whether to eat in the school’s cafeteria. A reporter working for the school’s newspaper polled students on their reactions to changes in the menu at the cafeteria. For each student leaving the cafeteria in one 20-minute time period, the reporter used a die to determine whether to stop the student and ask how he or she felt about the new menu. In the reporter’s article it was stated that a random sample of the students showed that 23% of the school’s student population was happy with the new menu. Which of the following statements is true?

• Because each student leaving the cafeteria was randomly selected and could choose to answer or not, this is a random sample of the student population, and the 23% is an accurate measurement of the school population’s view of the new menu.

• Because students self-selected whether to eat in the cafeteria, the sampling method might be biased and the sample might not be representative of all students in the school.

• The survey would have been more effective if the reporter had collected the data in one 10-minute time period rather than in one 20-minute time period.

• The survey would have been more effective if students who cared about the food could have called the reporter to tell how they felt about the new menu, so that only students with opinions on the subject would have been surveyed.

• Because no treatment was imposed on the students eating in the cafeteria, one cannot make any conclusions about the new menu.

a controlled study in which the researcher attempts to understand cause-and-effect relationships by assigning subjects to groups and deciding which treatments each group receives

• survey

• observational study

• experiment

You want to see if students who have a 4.0 grade point average study more than those who do not.

• survey

• observational study

• experiment

A professor finds that people who are obese have higher cholesterol levels than those who are not obese.

• Observational Study

• Experiment

A study where researchers deliberately impose treatment on the individuals.

• Experiment

• Observational Study

• Survey

• Census

One group of subjects was given an herbal supplement and another group was given a placebo. After one year, the number of illnesses each group had was compared.

• Observational Study

• Experiment

This research method is a technique for ascertaining the self – reported attitudes or behaviors of a particular group, usually by questioning a representative, random sample of the group.

• Survey

• Observational

• Experiments

Determine whether the situation is an experiment or observational study. A park employee wants to know if latex paint is more durable than non-latex paint. She paints 50 benches with latex paint and 50 with non-latex paint.

• Experiment

• Observational Study

Determine whether the situation is an experiment or observational study.

A researcher asks students the average number of hours of sleep they get per night and examines whether the amount of sleep affects students' grades.

• Experiment

• Observational Study

In a(n) ____________________ study, researchers observe and measure variables without manipulating any factors.

• experimental

• observational

• theoretical

• clinical

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.7

CCSS.RI.9-10.7

CCSS.RL.11-12.7

CCSS.RL.8.7

CCSS.RL.9-10.7